A state representative from Eunice wants Louisiana voters to decide whether cities like New Orleans can remove monuments, including those built to honor Confederate figures. State Rep. Phillip DeVillier, the Republican who proposed the legislation, will face an uphill battle trying to get two-thirds of the House and Senate to agree to place the amendment on the ballot on Oct. 14.

DeVillier's proposed amendment is extremely broad, covering not only memorials or monuments put up to honor major U.S. conflicts, but also "American presidents, founding citizens, those persons who rendered verified assistance in the formation of the Constitution" and "those citizens who rendered aid and assistance and support in the wars described in this section."

The amendment would remove local control over monuments, asking voters, "do you support an amendment to prohibit Louisiana public entities from destroying, dismantling, removing, moving, storing, eliminating or hiding various monuments memorials and artifacts?"

Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who spearheaded an ordinance declaring New Orleans' Confederate monuments nuisances, has repeatedly asserted that localities should have control over memorials that city residents own.

Because two-thirds of the House and Senate are required to pass constitutional amendments, DeVillier would have a difficult time getting such legislation approved. Similar efforts died in committee last year before even making it to a full vote, so it's not known how much support there would be if it made it to the floor.

But if the Legislature did approve a constitutional amendment for ratification by voters, the vote could be much closer. In a survey LSU conducted a year ago, just 20 percent of people said they favored removing Confederate monuments from public view.

It still remains unclear how the city would be able to find the money needed to remove the Confederate monuments. On Tuesday (April 4), the single bid received for removal came in more than triple what the city had budgeted. The city will have to find new funding within 60 days if it wants to accept the bid from Cuzan Services LLC.

The City Council voted in late 2015 to remove monuments to Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard, as well as one to former Confederate President Jefferson Davis. A fourth monument, which commemorates the Battle of Liberty Place, a deadly attack on New Orleans' integrated police force by a group of white supremacists, is also slated for removal.

It's not clear whether the Liberty Place obelisk would be covered by DeVillier's proposed amendment.

State Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, has also legislation seeking to protect monuments. Her bill, along with an earlier bill from Shreveport Republican state Rep. Thomas Carmody, are similar to bills they proposed last year.

Mizell's bill would require a resolution of the Legislature approving removal of a monument that has been in place for more than 25 years.